your views
“I thought I had traveled back in time to the mid-1960s when I read the interview about how well we were doing in Vietnam. Oops, I mean Afghanistan.
—Lt. Col. David Messick, USAF (Ret) ”
Afghanistan Opinions
There is no doubt whatsoever regarding the wonderful performance of our troops, emphasized again and again in [“Update From Afghanistan,” October 2012], and I have no doubt regarding the good intentions of Gen. John R. Allen, USMC, and the other general officers who have been involved for the past 10 years. What I find quite disturbing are the, in my opinion, unreachable goals and timetable offered for continued involvement, without reference to the realities of the cultures and religions in Afghanistan, while the loss of blood and treasure continues. My experience in the Middle East clearly tells me that the culture and religion in Afghanistan will not change to any significant extent within the foreseeable future, which, again in my opinion, will lead to naught when it comes to goals.
As to the Taliban, when they had training bases for terrorism we went in and cleaned them out. Our mistake was, and is, staying to perform some kind of “nation building” and/or cultural change. Our strategy could have been clean out the terrorist training camps and leave. The generals and politicians responsible for continuing this fiasco might well learn a few things if they spent some time living and working under Shariah law. Such would surely change their perspective and our involvement.
—Capt. Dene Stratton, USN (Ret)
Indianapolis Chapter
via email
I thought I had traveled back in time to the mid-1960s when I read the interview about how well we were doing in Vietnam. Oops, I mean Afghanistan. General Westmoreland, oops, General Allen, thinks it is going well, and President Thieu, oops, Karzai, is going to wipe up the opposition with the [Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN)], oops, the Afghan National Security Forces [ANSF], when we leave. And it is wonderful to know that the Vietcong, oops, the Taliban “are becoming increasingly disaffected.” If the ARVN, oops, the ANSF, will “ultimately be the defeat mechanism of the insurgency,” it will be most surprising to me and a lot of other people, I think. …
When [Military Assistance Command, Vietnam], oops, I mean the International Security Assistance Force, leaves, we will see the same scenario, or something very similar, to that we saw in Vietnam in 1975. For a sterling example, look at the wonderful conditions in Iraq now. I just hope our national authorities can begin to remember the past so we do not have to continue to revisit it every 20 years or so.
—Lt. Col. David Messick, USAF (Ret)
via email
Praise for Retail Rx I could not disagree more with your published letter (“Prescription Woes,” Your Views, October 2012), lauding the mandatory use of Express Scripts [TRICARE Pharmacy Home Delivery] by TRICARE For Life beneficiaries. … We tried Express Scripts early on and found them wanting. We’ve used Walgreens and now CVS for our prescriptions. They are far and away superior to Express Scripts in all manner. They are highly automated and sophisticated in online capabilities and notifications by any and all media one wishes to use these days — online ordering, reminders for refills, automated refills, [and] notifications to cellphones when prescriptions are ready. (Often as I’m driving back from a medical appointment, I will be so notified!) …
Having a readily available “in-person” pharmacist that we can drive to in literally minutes is not even remotely comparable to what’s offered by Express Scripts. We have rarely either lost or forgotten to take a prescription on a trip. Try fixing that with Express Scripts rather than a nationally based pharmacy system with accessible interconnectivity. Frankly, I’m not interested in having this important aspect of my health care managed remotely by long-distance telephone and dependent on the U.S. Postal Service. As I write our congressional representatives on these issues, neither would they want this for [themselves] and their families. At a minimum, we should be offered the choice.
—Capt. Hank Towle, USN (Ret)
Newberry, Fla.
18 MILITARY OFFICER DECEMBER 2012
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